Gun ownership is a way of life in rural areas and among folks who hunt for sport or survival… My mother didn’t approve of guns so my father kept his hunting rifle disassembled in a safe place in the house… when I was fifteen, my parents arranged for me to take the hunters’ safety course required for a hunting license. It was a good lesson in responsible gun ownership. I’ve seen the positive force for good behavior and good habits (avoiding drugs and alcohol) in my own son who understands he’ll lose his gun license the minute he has any kind of run-in with the police. As hunters, we all know first hand what firearms do to an animal we shoot. That’s a real incentive to think twice about reckless use of guns. I don’t think that high capacity military-type weaponry needs be easily available to civilians.

I haven’t been a victim so I don’t know how it feels. Because of my size, I’m going to be the last choice for a theft or an act of violence. So I don’t feel I need to carry a gun to be safe. That is my choice; at the same time, I don’t want the majority to make this choice for others.

If we’re going to talk about restricting the Second Amendment, maybe we should talk about restricting the First Amendment at the same time. Look at Hollywood’s love of guns and violence—video games’ graphic display of reckless behavior. Let’s talk about restricting their freedom to influence people. They glorify violence in a way that responsible gun owners don’t.